Rotary shears



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. P. DITTMAN.

ROTARY SHEARS.

Patented July 20,1897.

WITNESSES (No MOdel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. P. DITTMAN. ROTARY SHBARS.

No. 586,80 8. Patented July 20,1897.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.IOIIN F. DITTMAN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY SHEARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,808, dated July 20, 1897. Application led July 22, 1896. Serial No. 600,166. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. DITTMAN, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Shears, of which the following is a full, cle-ar, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l is afront elevation of my improved shearing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a partial horizontal section showing the cutting of an arc-shaped plate; and Figs. 4, 5, and G are det-ail views of the bearings of the rotary shears.

My invention relates to the class of rotary shears for cutting sheets or plates of metal, and is designed to provide an improved machine of this character which will operate not only to out are and circular shaped plates, but also to form plates with parallel side edges or with one edge extending at an angle to that of the other.

In the drawings, in which similar numerals indicate corresponding parts, 2 2 represent two housings placed opposite to each other and arranged to be slid toward or from each other upon dovetailed guides 3, formed in baseplates e. These housings are moved toward and from each other by `hydraulic cylinders or any suitable means attached to the connecting-rods 5, secured to the housings, so as to adjust the shears to the width of the plate desired. These housings and their contained apparatus are similar to each other, each containing two horizontal shafts 6 and 7, these shafts carrying at their forwardly-projecting ends the circular cutters. The cutter upon the shaft 6 consists of a circular plate of steel 8, which is secured against a shoulder 9 upon the shaft by a suitable nut and washer, as shown. The lower cutter upon the 'shaft 7 consists of two circular plates of steel 10 10, which are spaced apart by an intermediate circular plate 11 of smaller diameter, leaving an annular groove into which the upper cutter 8 forces the narrow strip of metal cut from the plate being operated upon.

The lower shaft 7 is carried in stationary bearings in the housing, and at its rear end is provided a toothed wheel 12, intermeshing with another toothed wheel 13, carried on a counter shaft, which is provided with a toothed wheel 14, intermeshing with a pinion 15 upon the shaft of an electric motor 1G, which is carried upon standards bolted to the housing. The toothed wheel 12 also intermeshes with an idler-wheel 17, which inter meshes with another idler-wheel 1S, engaging the teeth of the wheel 19, mounted upon the upper shaft G, this connection allowing a certain amount of vertical motion of the upper shaft while still maintaining its driving connection with the lower.

rlhe upper shaft is raised and lowered by means of two screw-shafts 2O and 21, one of which is right and the other left hand threaded, the shaft 2O passing through an innerlyscrew-threaded bearing in the housing and having at its lower end a boss or button confined within the forward bearing of the upper shaft,whereby this bearing maybe moved positively in either direction. rlhe other shaft 21 passes through smooth bearings in the housing and is screw-threaded at its lower portion, this screw-threaded portion entering a screw-threaded socket in the rear bearing, as shown in Fig. 4:. The shafts 2O and 21 are provided at their upper ends with gear-wheels 22 and 23, which intermesh with a large central wheel 2l, loosely mounted upon the housing and arranged to be rotated in either direction by the pivoted lever-handle 25, by means of which the upper shaft G and its cutter may thus be moved up or down, as desired.

To prevent any possibility of the curling up of the strip of scrap which is cut from the plate, I provide two guides 2G,`which are out out so as to fit the periphery of the lower shear, their upper faces lying in a plane tangent to the edge of the spacing-disk 11, so that the strip or scrap will be guided along their upper edges.

To provide for gaging accurately the width of the plate to be cut, I preferably secure to each housing a horizontal scale 27, which moves over a pointer 28, secured to the baseplate, this scale being laid otf in any suitable manner so as to indicate the width of the IOO plate which will be formed. Between the housings and parallel with their front faces extends a track 29, upon which moves a car 30, this car being moved along by an electric motor 3l, having a gearing connection with the wheels of the car, the current being supplied to this motor by any suitable means, such as an underground trolley. Centrally carried upon this car is a rotatory turn-table 32, having suitable T-shaped grooves 33 for the reception of bolts by which the plate is secured thereto. The top plate of the car is also provided with similar T-shaped grooves 34, by which the plate may be secured rigidly to the car.

The supporting-post 35 of the turn-table is provided with a gear-wheel 36, intermeshing with a pinion 37, carried upon the shaft of a motor 38, by which the turn-table may berotated. To raise and lower the turn-table, I provide upon-its post annul'artee-th 39, which are engaged by the teeth of the pinion 40, driven from asuitable motor 41, carried upon the car. Upon the turn-table 32 I provide al transverse scale 42, by which the amount of lap of the plate may be accurately meas.- ured when boiler-plate or similar plates are beingsheared, and around the circumference of the turn-table I provide a protractor-scale 43, which co-acts with pointers 44: upon the car to measure the angle at which point one edge of the plate is to be cut, when this is desired.

The operation is as follows: The plate being placed uponvthe car at a point removed from the housing, the plate is secu-red to either the top plate of the car or the turn-table thereon by bolts taking into the 'IT-shaped grooves and the car is then moved to a point between the two housings, the plate entering the horizontal slots 4:5 in the housings and passing between the separated rotatory shearblades. The housings then being moved toward'. or from each other to give the desired width of the plate, if the plateis a comparatively thinl one the bearings ot' the upper shafts are adjusted-,to a point where the shears will completely sever the plate at one pass, and the car being driven along the track the plate is severed as desired, both edges being cut simultaneously. l/Vhere a thick plate is to be sheared, the cutters are so adjusted that the first pass will merely score the metal along thel desired line, the plate then being given another pass in the opposite direction, if desired, the cutters in the meantime having been adjusted closer together. Enough passes are given so that the thick plates shall be completely severed or the strip or scrap shall be fractured from the adj oiningportions of the plate, so that it can be readily broken apart. plate power may bel applied to drivetheV car forwardy and also to positively rotate the cutters, or powerl may be applied to drive thel 4cut being given at each pass.

It is evident that in the cutting of acar, thus rotating the cutters, or the cutters alone may be rotated, thus drawing the plate through them. The upper cutter is preferably not rigidly secured to its shaft, but is so arranged that. it may slip around the shaft if for any reason it becomes jammed iin the metal, thus preventing liability of breakage. lf an arc or circular shaped plate is to be formed or an irregular contour is to be given, the plate having been secured to I the turn-table, the plate is acted upon by one set of cutters and the turn-table is rotated as Cdesired. extending at an angle to that of the other, vthe plate having been secured to the car, the

If a plate is to be cut with one edge car is moved along the trackV and one set of cutters is actuated to shear one edge of the plate. The plate then being secured to the turn-table, the turn-table is rotated so as to .bring the plate into the position to give the desired angle as indicated by the protractor upon the turn-table. The turntable thenbeing held -in this position the car is passed back through the shears, when the opposite set of shears will cut the other edge at the angle desired. If the ends as well as the sides are to be sheared, the housings are d-rawn apart the desired distance and the plate being rotated by means of the turn-table its'ends are sheared in the same manner as before.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art since both edges of. a plate are sheared simultaneously 'and continuously no matter what its length..

When used with thick plates, as manyfpasses may be given as may benecessary', a deeper Moreovenarc and circular shaped plates and plates of irregular shapes may all be formed by the same shears and by simply laying theV pattern on the plate to be sheared, no marking. of the plate being necessary. After the plateV is sheared as desired the car may be moved along the track toA any desired point, Where the plate is removed and the operations repeated.

Many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the parts wit-ho ut departing from my invention, since I claim-- 1. In a rotary sheara circular cutter hav'- ing a peripheral groove, and a narrower circular cutter arranged to force the metal into said groove, the latter cutter being mountedloosely upon its shaft, whereby it may slip if it becomes jammed inthe metal, in combination with mechanism for positivelyk rotating said cutters.

2. The combination. withza pair of. rotary cutters, of a platform movable past the same,a rotatory turn-table mounted on the platform, and normallyY in a plane at least as1 low as that ofthe platform, means for; movingy the turn-table vertically above the platform, and means uponv both the platform. and-turn-table IOO for clamping a plate thereon; as described.

3. The combination with a pair of rotary substantially l that of the platform, and a transverse scale upon said turn-table.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set cutters, of a platform movable past the same, my hand. a rotatory turn-table mounted upon the plat- JOHN F. DITTMAN. form and normally in a plane at least as loW Vitnesses:

as that of the platform, means for moving the turntable vertically to a plane above JNO. DILLENWORTH, J. B. RICHARDS. 

